Is this cat dead or just sleeping?

Saw a disturbing sight today:

First I thought it's asleep but it wasn't moving at all while the tail seemed to be slightly swinging in the wind and for this it has to be completely relaxed which I never saw to actually happen on cats...

If it's dead I wonder how it happened so weirdly: he seems to have his neck stuck between branches but wouldn't he be meowing non-stop for hours or days so someone would notice before starving? And if happened faster, did it freeze overnight when it was cold or could a cat break himself a neck trying to break free?..

Terrible picture anyway, especially if it's dead there on the tree, right in the middle of Odessa, in a pretty crowdy place - Tiraspolska str, right above the end stop of tram 10.

Anyway, I still have some hopes it was just asleep - cats sometimes exercise exquisite balance tricks. Will check on him tomorrow (it's near where I live, one street up the corner).